Playwrights Horizons News

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) welcomes the return of Firework Theater (formerly Kids with Guns) with the NYC premiere of THE PILLOW BOOK, by Anna Moench and directed by David F. Chapman. THE PILLOW BOOK begins previews on Thursday, August 4 for a limited engagement through Saturday, August 20.

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced casting and complete details for the New York premiere of COMPLETENESS, a new play by Itamar Moses (The Four of Us, Bach at Leipzig).

Hartford Stage continues its 2011 SummerStage season with Penumbra Theatre's production of I Wish You Love,written by Dominic Taylor and directed by Lou Bellamy.

Los Angeles Cabaret venue Show at Barre/BARRE vt and Very Intense Productions will present RSO: Barre Bones, an evening of songs by Ryan Scott Oliver, on July 6, at 7:30pm and 9:30pm.

Women's Project, the 34-year-old non-profit theater dedicated to producing plays written and directed by women, will present its 2011-12 season of new American plays featuring 20 women theater artists, Julie Crosby, Producing Artistic Director announced.

New Georges (Susan Bernfield, Artistic Director; Sarah Cameron Sunde, Associate Director; Jaynie Saunders Tiller, Managing Director), the OBIE Award-winning downtown theater company founded in 1992, will present 'THE GERM PROJECT,' featuring the work of playwrights Kara Lee Corthron (directed by Kara-Lynn Vaeni), Lynn Rosen (directed by Shoshana Gold), Kathryn Walat (directed by Portia Krieger), and Anna Ziegler (directed by Beatrice Terry). The four 'germs' of full-length plays of scope and adventure commissioned by New Georges for this project will be presented together, fully produced, in a cohesive and satisfying ninety-minute intermission-less evening. There will be a connective thread to the pieces that will take place with visuals and storytelling. 'THE GERM PROJECT' will be performed at 3LD Art & Technology Center, 80 Greenwich Street (just south of Rector). Previews will begin on June 11, and the official Opening Night will be Monday, June 20 at 8:00 p.m. Performances will run through July 9.

Kathy Evans, Founder and Executive Director of the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, announced the fourteen musical theatre writers who will participate for the inaugural summer in July and August. The Rhinebeck Writers Retreat provides a one-week residency for a musical theatre writing team to create and refine their musical in Rhinebeck, New York.

THE OJAI PLAYWRIGHTS CONFERENCE (OPC) is thrilled to announce its 2011 Season - 14th Annual program of playwrights, readings and special performances featuring some of the most talented, established and up-and-coming playwrights writing today.

Grammy and Emmy Award winner, Tony Award nominee and multi-platinum recording artist Harry Connick, Jr. will star in a reimagined production of ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER opening fall 2011 on Broadway at a theatre to be announced. The delightful Tony Award nominated score by Burton Lane (music) and Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) is enhanced by classics from their film scores for On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) and Royal Wedding (1951). With a new book by Peter Parnell based on the original book by Alan Jay Lerner, the musical is reconceived and directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer. Further casting and creative team to be announced shortly.

Cape Rep Theatre will continue its 26th Season on June 23 with Annie Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation. William Roudebush will direct. Performances will continue through July 17. Performances take place on Tuesday and Wednesday at 7pm and Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm. There will be an additional performance on Sunday, June 26. . Tickets are currently available as part of a 3 and 4 play subscriptions. Individual tickets are also on sale. Tickets are $25. Bookings and information are available by calling the box office at 508.896.1888 or visiting www.caperep.org.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is pleased to announce its 7th annual First Look Repertory of New Work - three developmental productions of new plays presented in repertory playing October 26 - November 20, 2011 in The Steppenwolf Garage, 1624 N. Halsted St. The 2011 festival will also include three free readings by emerging playwrights presented November 3 - 5, 2011.

ORGANIC THEATER PITTSBURGH presents Sarah Ruhl's award-winning, dark comedy, Dead Man's Cell Phone, which has been described as, 'fearless, surreal, edgy, playful, lovely, quirky, delightful, and hilarious.'

Producers Jeffrey Finn and Jill Furman announced today that two-time Tony Award nominee, Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner Alan Rickman (Private Lives, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, the Harry Potter franchise) will make his eagerly-anticipated return to Broadway starring in the World Premiere of SEMINAR, a new play by Theresa Rebeck (Mauritius, The Understudy, Omnium Gatherum, The Family of Mann, Spike Heels, NBC's upcoming 'Smash'). Directed by acclaimed Obie Award winner Sam Gold (Circle Mirror Transformation, The Aliens, Tigers Be Still, Kin, The Coward) in his Broadway debut, the production will open at a Shubert Theatre to be announced this Fall 2011.

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer), announced that Manhattan Theatre Club, by special arrangement with Jon B. Platt and Scott Landis, will produce the Broadway premiere of VENUS IN FUR, the play by David Ives directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie featuring Tony Award nominee Nina Arianda reprising her acclaimed breakthrough performance. VENUS IN FUR will begin performances Thursday, October 13 at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) in a limited engagement. A November opening night for the production will be announced shortly.

Hartford Stage continues its 2011 SummerStage season with Penumbra Theatre's production of I Wish You Love,written by Dominic Taylor and directed by Lou Bellamy.

Two-time Tony Award® winner James Earl Jones (Hoke Coleburn), Tony and Oscar® winner Vanessa Redgrave (Daisy Werthan) and four-time Tony Award® winner Boyd Gaines (Boolie Werthan) will star in the critically acclaimed production of Driving Miss Daisy, at the Wyndham's Theatre from 26 September until 17 December, with press night on 5 October. The play, written by Alfred Uhry and directed by David Esbjornson, enjoyed a record breaking sell-out run on Broadway until 9 April this year. Design is by John Lee Beatty, costumes by Jane Greenwood, lighting is by Peter Kaczorowski , music by Mark Bennett and sound by Christopher Cronin. Driving Miss Daisy is being produced in the West End by Jed Bernstein and Adam Zotovich.